One Program Fits All? Patterns and Outcomes of Professional Development During a Large-Scale Reform in a High-Stakes Science Curriculum

Oct 15, 2026

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When translating large-scale policy change into classroom practice, teacher capability and implementation matter. This large-scale quantitative study connected to the Advanced Placement (AP) science examination reform analyzes teacher participation across face-to-face, online, and materials-based professional development formats (NTeachers=9,096; NStudents=197,589). Teacher characteristics relate to PD format choice, and AP subscores differ by participating format. Informal PD associates with higher reported challenges, guiding PD providers to diversify programs for differential benefits.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages18

Reading Time45 min

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One Program Fits All? Patterns and Outcomes of Professional Development During a Large-Scale Reform in a High-Stakes Science Curriculum

Background and Policy Context

Prior Research and Research Gap

Study Design and Findings

AERA Open January-December 2021, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 1–18 DOI: 10. 1177/23328584211028601 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2021. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero) One Program Fits All? Patterns and Outcomes of Professional Development During a Large-Scale Reform in a High-Stakes Science Curriculum Nicolas Hübner Christian Fischer University of Tübingen Barry Fishman University of Michigan Frances Lawrenz University of Minnesota Arthur Eisenkraft University of Massachusetts Boston When translating large-scale policy changes into educational practice, classroom-level implementation is crucial and dependent on teachers’ capabilities. Most research underscores the importance of professional development (PD) as a proximal factor to achieve educational change. Connected to the recent Advanced Placement (AP) science examination reform, this large-scale quantitative study (NTeachers = 9,096; NStudents = 197,589) investigates teacher participation in different PDformats (i.e., face-to-face, online, materials) and their associations with teacher-and student-level outcomes. We found that teacher characteristics (e.g., gender and administrative support) were associated with the choice of the PD format. We also found AP subscore differences between students of teachers who participated in different PD formats. Furthermore, teachers who participated informal PD activities tended to report higher challenges with the AP reform. Thus, this study encourages PD providers to implement changes alongside a variety of PD programs to account for the potential differential benefits for teachers. Keywords: advanced placement reform, professional development, science teacher education ImprovIng the preparation of high school students to enter higher education is an important task for educational systems all over the world. In the United States, the Advanced Placement (AP) program is part of college preparation for millions of students each year, and often serves as an indicator of college readiness. High school students are taught college-level content that may be recognized by colleges, allowing students to skip introductory college courses and, in some cases, receive college credits toward graduation. Beginning in 2013, the “AP Redesign,” a large-scale reform, was introduced in three science disciplines (biology, chemistry, physics), which changed the curriculum frameworks in these subjects and increased emphasis on “Science Practices”and “Big Ideas.” Science Practices are intended to improve students’ knowledge and understanding of natural phenomena by using evidence to test explanations and make predictions. Big Ideas represent central scientific processes, theories, and principles (e.g., College Board, 2012) . These changes align with other large high school science reforms such as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) . Previous research underscored that the effective implementation of large curricular changes mostly depends on teachers (Desimone, 2009; Hübner et al., 2021; Porter et al., 2015) . More specifically, effective implementation of educational reforms is inherently related to the extent to which teachers are supported and prepared for the new requirements of such revised programs (Fishman et al., 2003) . In addition to providing curriculum frameworks and prepared teaching materials that reflect the new curriculum, offering high-quality professional development (PD) was articulated as a central policy tool to equip teachers with the required knowledge and skills to meet new standards (e.g., Borko et al., 2003; Dede et al., 2009; Desimone, 2009) . However, besides the general notion that teacher characteristics are associated with PD participation (e.g., Desimone et al., 2006; Garet et al., 2001), the research base on who

FAQs

How does the study connect professional development to the AP science reform?

It examines teacher participation in different PD formats in response to the AP science examination reform and links those choices to teacher- and student-level outcomes.

What factors are associated with teachers choosing different PD formats?

Teacher characteristics, such as gender and administrative support, are associated with the selection of the PD format.

What did the study find about student AP subscores across PD formats?

AP subscore differences appear between students taught by teachers who participated in different PD formats, indicating format-related associations with performance.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Adam